Day 1 - Travel and THE Best Lobster Roll

We started our Maine adventure by flying into the Boston airport. This ended up being the best flight option for us considering time and cost. We had booked our first stay at a hotel in Bar Harbor to allow our leisurely trip back down the coast so we had a bit of a drive in front of us (Approximately 5 hours). We scooted to the rental car center and then we were on our way. Being late in the afternoon we knew we'd be getting hungry so we planned for our first stop to be a bit before our half-way point and I'm so glad we picked the town we did!

Sunday Afternoon, Stop #1 Kennebunkport

Roughly 2 hours from the Boston airport it was on our radar as being a touristy town with a delicious lobster roll at the well known Clam Shack. We were told the town is packed and the line for the Clam Shack is easily 30 minutes long. We LUCKED out. The start of our perfect timing throughout the week began with the town being fairly light and no wait at all for food! Parking in this town is limited. Be prepared to either pay or walk a good distance. Luckily I had done a little research ahead of time and had found the address to a perfect pay-by-the-hour parking lot a block from The Clam Shack. (The parking lot address is 11 Dock Sqaure, you'll see the blue parking sign.) Of course our first stop was The Clam Shack and OH-EM-GEE. That lobster roll was our first taste of Maine. Worth every penny. We even scored a cute "both" pin for getting our roll with both mayonnaise and butter. Cute little addition and a free souvenir!

The Clam Shack gave us a coupon for a free ice cream cone at Aunt Marie's, a stand around the corner so of course we had to stop for a couple cones too! We wandered around by the docks and shops a little while then it was back on the road.

Since we knew it'd be dark for the rest of our drive we bypassed the scenic Route 1 and just stuck with the highway. Be ready to slow down on the last hour of driving into Bar Harbor. After hours of flying down the highway that last hour of 30 mph felt daunting. Warning: You may think in such a rural area it isn't being patrolled but I promise, it is. (Just ask the Escalade that flew passed us only to be passed BY us while he was pulled over!)

We moseyed into town about 11pm and finally checked into The Inn On Mount Desert. (The sweet inn keeper had even called on our way to make sure our travel was going okay!) We made our way to our beautiful, air conditioned room and with everything already closed up tight in Bar Harbor our only real option was to call it a day. (The bed was the most comfortable thing I'd ever slept on, or maybe I was just that tired?)

Day 2- Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park

Monday Morning, Breakfast and Adventure

Up early we opted out of the inns offering of complimentary breakfast and walked a few blocks to Jordan's Restaurant, advertised as being known for their blueberry pancakes. The pancakes were fluffy and perfect, service was fast and friendly, and the coffee was hot. Everything you want in a breakfast place.

With our bellies full it was finally time to explore. We hopped in the car and were on our way to the visitor center located in Acadia National Park to pick up a free park map. There was a very long line of folks eager to find out information or purchase a park pass for their vehicle. Save yourself the time! Acadia National Park's website is FULL of information about all of the cool sights within the park. Do your research and find out what stops you are most interested in. On the website you can also purchase your vehicle's park pass, print it off and have it with you so you are ready to go!

The first stop on our list was Cadillac Mountain, again, parking is limited but as luck would have it someone gave us their spot as we pulled up. Perfect timing. It also helped that we were to the top by 10am. Traffic in this area really starts to pick up around noon. Cadillac Mountain is GORGEOUS, the views are absolutely breathtaking. The twisty curvy road up and down the mountain also offers incredible views and a fun drive.

We continued down Park Loop Road (the main way around the park, and stunning all on it's own) in search for Sand Beach. They'll stop you here to check your vehicle's pass so be ready. This area was PACKED. If you find a spot along the road TAKE IT, the parking lot will most likely be full and you'll have to lap back around. (Many of the roads in the park are One-Way only, check your map!)

Sand Beach was crowded but as we walked to the far edge the mass of people lightened and we enjoyed letting our toes take a dip and soaking up some rays. After enjoying the sun we washed our feet in the provided foot showers and continued down the one-way to our next stop, Thunder Hole.

Again, parking is limited, take the spot as you find it. There are many opportunities to take a break and just take in all that's around you. We spent a lot of time simply sitting on the cliffs before making it to Thunder Hole. It's beautiful and there are many trails to choose from.

Unfortunately, while we were at Thunder Hole it wasn't "thundering" from the waves crashing, as it is famous for but it was still a cool sight to see. We hiked a little ways back to the car and continued around the curves to my personal favorite stop of our time in the park, Otter Point.

It was SO peaceful here. No big crowds of people. EASY parking. Spectacular views of the gorgeous water crashing into the cliffs. All around awesome.

“Honestly vacation is just filled with activities while patiently waiting to be hungry enough to eat again.”

Back on the curvy road we took our time cruising and checking out the gorgeous scenery. Tucker even caught a whale jumping in the distance! (I only caught the tale! Boo!) We chose to avoid the crowds and passed on a few of the "well known" stops in Acadia, Jordan's Pond being one of them, and headed back to home-base. Which was great because we were hungry, and eating is by far our favorite vacation activity. Honestly vacation is just filled with activities while patiently waiting to be hungry enough to eat again.

Monday Afternoon/Evening- Lunch, Downtown Bar Harbor, Dinner

Our conveniently placed inn was a short 10 minute walk to the heart of Bar Harbor. We chose a restaurant known for their lobster roll (well, duh!), Side Street Cafe. Fun vibe, laid back, cold drinks, awesome service, and of course, an amazing lobster roll. We then spent hours walking around Downtown Bar Harbor, lots of fun shops to explore. We walked the Shore Path and really enjoyed the harbor area. Beautiful boats, a few were offering sunset cruises and such. We also spent time just sitting on one of the park benches and doing some people watching.

As the smell of pizza lingered around us we knew we needed some so we walked into Rosalie's and placed our order. A quick 15 minute wait and we had our pizza. We decided to take it back to the inn and enjoy it there. Pizza was awesome and we were spent. We'd set a goal before we left to make sure we enjoyed a "famous" sunrise on top of Cadillac Mountain and Tuesday morning was our last chance. Knowing we'd have to set our alarms for 3am to make it happen, we called it a night!

Day 3- Cadillac Mountain Sunrise and Some Travel

Tuesday "Morning", sunrise, breakfast

3am comes pretty fast. We had to keep telling ourselves it'd be worth it. (Trust us, it is, fight through the sleepiness!) We snagged a cup of coffee from the lobby of the inn and we were out the door. Since we had already scoped out Cadillac Mountain the day before we knew exactly where to go, and we were also wise to the VERY limited parking. I didn't want to be there for just "the sunrise" I wanted to be there for it all. I wanted to watch the sky around us change colors, I wanted to watch the sky wake-up, and we weren't alone. When we rounded the corner to the parking lot there were about 6 other cars already in their spots. All with the same idea I'm sure, to beat the crowds and witness the beauty from the very start.

I snapped a few night, stargazing photos and we found a "comfy" spot to watch the event. The sunrise wasn't technically until 5:19 that morning but the sky really began to change around 4:00. It's magical and honestly something everyone should put on their bucket list! With Cadillac Mountain being the highest point along the North Atlantic coast (1,530 ft.) it's one of the very first places to see the sunrise during the summer in the United States. (The VERY first place to see it the other half of the year!) If you do this stop, it's chilly, bring a sweater or a blanket! As time crept toward 5:00 we could really start to hear the cars and the people hustling in. We could see the headlights of late comers circling for spots in the, I'm sure, already full parking lot. People were all around us by this point, hundreds gather hear daily for the event, but most had already missed the big part of the show an hour before!

The sun peaked and we hurried to our car to beat the massive line of traffic that would be headed back down the mountain. As we made our way through the parking lot we started to realize just HOW many cars were here. Cars were EVERYWHERE, in ditches, sides of the narrow road, and in turnoffs. We were so happy to have planned ahead and beat all of that craziness!

As we were making our way down the mountain we started to notice the amazing golden color of the sky and everything around us. As we rounded one of the many curves down we came around the corner to the most spectacular view. There was a small turn off big enough for a car or two and we just had to stop. In our haste down the mountain we almost missed one of the best views of the day! As cars flew by we just sat and enjoyed this spot for a few minutes. Then we scurried down the mountain in the hunt for breakfast!

Again, we skipped the inn's complimentary breakfast (which wouldn't have been served quite yet anyway) and instead walked into town. Our first option was Cafe This Way, but they weren't open yet! So we "scrambled", yep only thinking about eggs at this point, to find a place already open. And I think it was meant to be. We landed at Great Maine Breakfast and it is appropriately named to say the least. Prepare to have your mind blown with the most delicious homemade oatmeal bread french toast you will ever have. Service was fast, place is small so there may be a wait a little later in the morning. Staff was friendly, coffee was hot and the food was terrific all around.

With check-out time looming we decided the only rational thing to do would be to take a nap before heading on down the coast!

Tuesday Afternoon, Trip to Rockland

Checked-out of our gorgeous first hotel, car packed, and fully napped. We were ready to face the day! Before leaving Bar Harbor we walked downtown to scoop up a couple souvenirs and then we headed down Route 1 in "route" to our next stop of Rockland. This road is super fun. So many little towns, driving right along the coast, speed limits are low. With only 2 hours to our next hotel we had plenty of time until check-in so we were in no hurry. After an easy scenic drive we arrived at The Rockland Harbor Hotel. We parked our car and decided to stretch our legs. A quick google search of food around us and we were headed to Wasses Hot Dogs for "One of the best hot dogs in Maine!". A cute street stand, the line was pretty long at lunch which gave us time to decide what we wanted. Service was fast and friendly. A couple of very yummy cheese dogs and fries later and we were ready for a beer! We walked back passed our hotel and headed for The Rock Harbor Brewery. Being a red/amber fan I went for one of their Copper House drafts, super refreshing. Tucker enjoyed a Sprucehead Stout.

After check-in we discovered our hotel room had an awesome view of the harbor, even included a little balcony which was really nice! We relaxed for a little while then we were ready to explore again!

Tuesday Evening, Lighthouse, Dinner

I was so excited to visit our first official lighthouse!! We could see it from our hotel room but was too far to walk so we hopped in our car and headed to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. You first arrive at a nice parking area and small park. From there we walked the close to a mile long breakwater that stretches to the beautiful lighthouse.

We came right before sunset and the views were nothing short of amazing. After spending time at the lighthouse and walking our way back to the car we were hungry... of course... in hunt of a lobster roll. We had passed a restaurant on the way so we decided hit it up out of convenience. We walked up to Claws excited to try one of their "award winning lobster rolls". Unfortunately the service wasn't that great, seemed to be some confusion in the kitchen. Lobster roll was okay, clam chowder was pretty good BUT the views from their outdoor seating area were beautiful! All and all it was a nice stop. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and taking a nice nighttime walk around the water. Most things in Rockland close up pretty early so we ran out of things to do which was okay because we were ready to call it a day.

Day 4- Headed Down The Coast, Georgetown Pit Stop

Wednesday Morning/Afternoon, Lunch in Georgetown

Five Islands Lobster Co. Georgetown, Maine

Again, we opted out of the offered complimentary breakfast because... well.. we're obsessed with breakfast spots. We walked across the street to the Rockland Cafe. No open tables so we had to wait a bit, to be expected. Again, the service ended up being just okay. Seemed to be some good ol' restaurant drama taking place. The food was still good, my omelette was bangin', coffee was good, and we had a blueberry muffin that was as big as my head. We hit up some shops for souvenirs, loaded up the car, and checked out. One last stop in Rockland was Jess's Market, we got road bevs and were ready to go! Probably one of the stops I was most excited about, Georgetown, was just about an hour away.

Wednesday Evening, Portland

The shortest drive of the trip, under an hour, got us to our Portland Hotel. Right in the heart of downtown Portland, cobblestone roads and adorable brick everywhere you looked. Parking on the same block in a parking garage put us a short walk to check-in with our luggage in tow. We rounded the corner to see the Hyatt Place Portland, our stop for the next couple nights, the sweetest front desk attendant of our trip made us feel right at home! When we entered our room my mind blew. The view from our window was incredible! Floor to ceiling windows, super comfy bed, amazing bathroom. The perfect place to relax.

We explored around downtown for a while it rained a little off and on, we stopped at a bar called Rosie's because the sign outside invited us in with beer specials. Again, hunger was striking and a new town calls for a new pizza. We picked the closest one which happened to be Anthony's Italian Kitchen. We walked a few blocks to the basement restaurant nestled between Bull Moose Records and Casablanca Comics, seemed right up our alley. We walked to the counter to place our order, pizza was ready maybe 10 minutes later. When we got back outside rain was looming. About three minutes into the walk it started pouring! We ran, pizza in hand, doing everything to protect the precious cheese covered deliciousness. We succeeded! That ended up being arguably my favorite evening of the whole vacation. Just sitting in our hotel room, watching the rain and people on the street, eating awesome pizza on a comfy couch with Food Network playing in the background. Another early night to prepare for a fun morning!

Day 5 - Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth, Portland Head Lighthouse, Two Lights, Crescent Beach, Bug Light

Thursday Morning/Afternoon, Hotel Breakfast and Exploring

Our first complimentary breakfast, Hyatt Place knows what's up! Good coffee, hot food, good selection. Honestly it was just chosen as a time savor but it ended up being pretty darn good for a hotel complimentary breakfast! We were ready for a full day of sightseeing. First stop of the day was to Fort Williams Park (about 20 minutes from the hotel) to see the Portland Head Lighthouse! I was so excited about this stop and it certainly lived up to the beauty I had seen in pictures while planning our trip. The scenery is just down right gorgeous here. We spent a bit of time wandering around the lighthouse then headed down the road into Cape Elizabeth to the western part of Casco Bay, Two Lights. The lighthouse here isn't the coolest view but the coast around it is AWESOME! We trekked along the rocks and enjoyed the ocean crashing around us.

Next stop was a little bit of BEACH TIME!! Crescent Beach is a public beach but be prepared to pay here. $16 dollars got the two of us a day-pass in case you wanted to come and go for lunch and such. We were there before noon so the crowds weren't unbearable. The beach is clean, sun was hot, water was pretty warm. It was nice to just soak up some vitamin D for a while! (A cute crepe stand was in the parking lot too "Crepe Elizabeth"... I'm a sucker for a good pun.)

Old Orchard Beach was on our list for the day but we decided to head back toward the city instead. On the way we looked up another popular Lobster Roll stop, which happened to lead us right back into Fort Williams to a little food truck called Bite Into Maine. The lobster rolls just never stop being awesome in Maine but this was one of my faves! They had really good potato salad and we snagged a caprese sandwich too. One last out of city stop on the list was another little lighthouse, Bug Light. Cute little park, short walk to the lighthouse, cool views of the city, nice stop. From there, after an already full day, it was back to Old Port.

Thursday Evening, More Walking, More Eating

A little hotel relaxing, a lot of walking, and a couple beers at Rosie's. When dinner time came we were on the hunt for a burger, we struck out at a couple stops including a "restaurant" called Fore Play (It's on Fore street and I'm a sucker for puns.) To keep it short, I'm not sure if they knew they were a restaurant so we moved on. We ended up at a chain that is new to us called Elevation Burger. Sort of like Five Guys but SUPER good! A little more walking around and checking out some cute boutiques lead us back to the hotel. Some people watching on our comfy couch and some much needed rest on our super cozy bed!

Day 6- Odds and Ends in Portland

Friday, The Whole Day In One Section Because We Were Pretty Lazy

Friday morning started the latest of all the days. We walked about 15 minutes to an adorable looking breakfast place called The Miss Portland Diner, it's a train-cart-turned-restaurant and we got to sit at the cute counter! Awesome french toast, hot coffee, good service!

We filled the day with a lot of random activities starting with visiting a neighborhood called Libbytown, for obvious reasons, and enjoyed a couple donuts there at a spot called Tony's Donuts. Met some friendly locals. We stopped at Len Libby Candies, again, obviously. They have a life-sized moose, bear, and bear cubs made entirely out of chocolate. It's ridiculous and smells delicious. (The mama bear's name is Libby, sooo again.) We wandered back into the city and decided to drive around to the outer parts. We drove through the Eastern Promenade. Walking paths, parks, and beautiful harbor views. The perfect place to waste some time and take in some fresh air. We even stumbled upon the graffiti wall located along one of the paths.

Lunch time brought us on the hunt for a classic, down to earth, fish and chips and a, do I need to even say it at this point, lobster roll. We landed on a spot we had already scoped out, The Porthole. Terrific outdoor seating right on the water. The fresh air and smell of the sea complimented a delicious meal.

Our Lunch View, Porthole, Portland, Maine

More walking, shopping at Bull Moose, Casablanca Comics, and some more souvenir places. Back to the hotel to relax and take advantage of the pool to cool off. This was the hottest day we were in Maine. Hours wasted lounging around the hotel brought us to dinner time. Last night in Portland, we couldn't leave without trying Otto's Pizza, right? Delivered right to our-lazy-selves for more hotel lounging. As most people go for a night cap, we went for night gelato. Next door at The Gelato Fiasco Old Port. A night stroll down to the harbor to see street lights on the water. (Turns out Fore Street turns into a super packed, loud club scene after 11pm. Totally for you, if you're into that sort of thing.)

With rain setting in again we opted for more lazy lounging until we dozed off for the night.

Day 7- Donuts and Traveling Home

Saturday, Holy Donut, A Last Minute Re-stop

The last day. We were flying back out of Boston but had about eight hours to complete the two hour drive so of course pit stops were in order. First we hit up the free hotel breakfast, a few last minute souvenirs, and last but not least some road donuts from Holy Donut! (Standing in line, in the rain, was worth it!)

We had time to either stop in one new town OR revisit Kennebunkport to see if the Clam Shack's lobster roll lived up to our week of delicious rolls along the coast. We couldn't pass up that lobster roll so Kennebunkport we went. The town was about DOUBLED in crowds from our first stop, parking was next to impossible, and the line at the Clam Shack was that famous 20 minutes long. I dropped Tucker off to hop in line and as I drove up to "our" parking lot from trip number one the "Lot Full" sign loomed. To my luck, as I was about to drive by, the lot worker took the sign down, perfect timing! Made it in time to order our legendary lunch (scored another "Both" pin, now we each have one!) and dug into our, now without a doubt, FAVORITE LOBSTER ROLL of the week!!

Wasted a little more time, did a little more shopping, and then headed back down the road towards Boston. Easy airport, we got there early just in case. Took the time to chill and enjoy the last of our rightly named, Holy Donuts, heavenly. Plane was delayed and then it wasn't, a little mix up at the in-airport Johnny Rockets, and just like that, it was time to head home!

The Wrap Up

The BEST vacation we have ever been on. Highly recommend. A fun, easy road trip.

Gorgeous views, perfect weather, friendly people all around.

Highlights? Otter Point, Cadillac Mountain Sunrise, Hyatt Place Hotel

Could have skipped? The stay in Rockland. (Just make a pit stop for the lighthouse!)

Best lobster roll we tried? The Clam Shack, Kennebunkport

We're Maine-ly Here For The Lobster Rolls - Our One Week Maine Coastal Road Trip